Captain Beefheart, born Don Van Vliet, made his way onto a wild and wooly L. A. music scene in 1966 when he and his Magic Band signed to A&M and released a stomping cover of Bo Diddley’s ‘Diddy Wah Diddy‘ that was produced by David Gates, who would later find fame and fortune with Bread. The record was a small hit in Los Angeles, but failed to catch fire elsewhere.
He signed to Buddah and released his classic debut, ‘Safe As Milk.’ in late 1967. Between the A&M recordings and the ‘Safe As Milk’ album, things had changed within the band, as they were moving fast towards a sound away from anything identifiable as ‘blues,’ ‘rock’ or anything else for that matter. 1968′s ‘Strictly Personal’ saw the band move to yet another label, as the album failed to complete the transition. It would be with the help of longtime friend that would shine a spotlight on Beefheart as one of the most unique artists of all time.
Frank Zappa was an old friend of Beefheart’s and in 1968, he signed him to his new Straight Records label, which was a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. The label would serve as home to the likes of the GTOs, Tim Buckley, Alice Cooper and Wild Man Fischer, among others. Zappa would act as producer on ‘Trout Mask,’ a seemingly natural move for the pair of outsiders to team up.
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Don Van Vliet (born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, artist and poet known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work..
Don Van Vliet (born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, artist and poet known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work..
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